Then There Were Five.

  The people who were paid to watch the Royal Investigators' home had a lot to say on a quiet morning.

  Several wagons had arrived from Ironwood, with them was a group of over thirty Core Formation Warriors.

  All of them, wielding Javelins for the express purpose to escort their Matriarch home.

  Cheri, Virea, and Erin stood armed, their eyes moved across the people present.

  Dar Luso and Shepard guided Nadia and Serel onto coach while Valen, Rosha, Mira, Rian, and Elias mounted it as if daring anyone to provoke them.

  Then the sky shook, and a black wedge raced by, gaining altitude.

  What descended was a wide-winged black Albatross that lazily loitered and gave off a mournful cry that pierced the stillness that had followed her arrival.

  Ironwood had brought a tour de force to take Nadia home; anyone who chose to impede her would see what scorched earth looked like.

  As the group passed, the people in the shadows fell back.

  Wang Tong stood straight and stiff, looking out a window.

  Two shadows moved for a better look.

  “You did not mention they would have so many Core Formation warriors, Tong.” Commander Hou Lan said softly.

  “His Excellency will not be pleased.” Vice Commander Rou Hua noted.

  Tong trembled; he had pulled a lot of strings to get the day and time that Ironwood was approved to leave with an escort.

  But no one had said they would mobilize a sect's worth of people to oversee the woman’s movements.

  A shadow passed over them, and Tong involuntarily moved from the window as the Albatross gave another mournful cry that pierced his heart.

  At the Palace, two people watch from one of the many tower windows.

  “Your mother must be getting close.” General Jang noted the way Nadia was waddling.

  Andrew smiled. “My sister won't leave until Mom kicks her out. She is like me, not one to turn down free room and board.”

  Jang gave a small smile. “Between your siblings, it seems she is in good hands.”

  Andy nodded. “Rong and Shepard specialize in feminine medical care.”

  Jang glanced at him. The young man shook his head. “They er, adore helping women.”

  Jang blinked, then laughed.

  She looked out at the Albatross that seemed to hang in the air like a cloud as its head moved around.

  “Why does her bird move differently from yours?” she asked.

  Andy shook his head. “That I don’t know, but when she and Dar make constructs, they seem to be living beings.” He offered.

  Jang nodded, then saw Grand Elder Ning watching from another tower.

  Her eyes narrowed when she saw Velran step into view, his mouth moving, obviously talking.

  Her hand waved, and the shutter to their balcony closed.

  Grand Elder Ning Ya turned, feeling someone watching him.

  All the tower's windows were closed, so he turned back and watched his disciple move through the air, provoking those who wished to rein her in.

  With a sigh, he considered how he could placate both sides and still ensure Elaren and Sulara did not act rashly.

  Within a single chime, the group had left the city's view, and everyone invested in gaining benefits or leverage was left trying to determine what to do next.

  Velran set up a meeting with Elaren, and to his surprise, she never answered. Finally, he confronted her in the Palace halls as she moved from her residence.

  “Whether or not you dislike me does not mean you are free to neglect your duties,” Velran stated.

  People were diverted to other hallways.

  Elaren took in a breath and looked at the man. “Just speak of what you want, so I need not spend more time in your presence than necessary.” She said resignedly.

  “We must rein in these Ferals. Refugees trickle in daily, putting undue strain on the economy and space within the city.” He stated.

  “Then go fight them, you do not need me to lead your expeditionary force,” Elaren said.

  Velran sneered. “Ironwood dealt with these beasts before, do you not see they are the tool we need to wield to get this under control?” he demanded, becoming angry.

  “That village fled; they have no larders full of food, or vast manpower reserves, or a castle to fall back to. They farm, and they live in houses without walls around them. Are you telling me we need to gather the peasants into a fighting force because the military is too weak to do what Ironwood could?”

  Velran barked a laugh.

  “You know as well as I do, nearly every villager is a cultivator!”

  Elaren nodded. “Will we be shouldering the cost of their pill intake in the name of defending the state?” she asked, knowing full well they lacked the resources to feed pills to over two hundred Foundation Establishment warriors, part of that number actually Core Formation.

  Velran clenched his fists in rage.

  “As citizens of the state, they owe allegiance and service to Tianrelion.” He growled.

  Elaren nodded. “I see, I think we should roll in the Gilded Sect remnants into their campaign, perhaps your friend, Sect Master Yue, steps forward to lead them to regain the land they lost.” Elaren offered.

  “Don’t be ridiculous, the Gilded Sect is still in the process of restructuring.” He warned her.

  “Ah, how convenient,” Elaren remarked.

  “Well, come up with a plan and put it forward; we do have a duty to the people after all,” Elaren said dismissively and moved around her brother and walked away.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Velran watched her go, his eyes tinged red as his pulse was visible from the veins on his throat.

  The Gilded sect had tirelessly helped his faction. Money had flowed.

  It still did, but it was only a pittance of what it had been. They had no land, no production.

  They needed them back in Hearthgate, producing so they could finance his movements.

  Turning around, he wandered back to his suite in thought.

  The villages used spears and bows, like savages. They didn’t even own swords, he was told.

  He felt disdain for them, yet he was frustrated that only they had killed Feral with any semblance of regularity.

  He could not force them directly, so he would need to attack them privately.

  All power players desired legitimacy. He would threaten theirs and slowly compel them to solve his problem.

  Within a day, it was known that Ironwood was the reason for the refugee flow.

  Their abandoning their duties has created this flow of homeless, hungry citizens, squeezing into the city.

  Other ministers heard that Ironwood was operating as an armed force without a charter and had created a parallel loyalty structure that encouraged flight from state authority.

  This had created the Feral problem in the first place.

  Velran waited.

  Ironwood made a lot of money off of Ferals.

  He hoped that with enough external pressure and internal pressure on revenue, there would be dialogue.

  The ministers could not broach the issue, or they handed the initiative to Ironwood.

  They needed Ironwood to come to them.

  With any other party, an emissary would arrive to beg them to allow them to clarify the record and offer concessions or bribes.

  After a week, no one, not even a stable hand, came forward to clarify what had turned into a hot rumor, fueled by refugees filling every gap they could find and coins in pockets to keep it alive.

  Each day, the situation grew more urgent, requiring the government to devise a resolution.

  Velran simply wanted these people to go back to where they belonged.

  Meanwhile, in Ironwood, trees fell, cleaved neatly with water, as men and women lowered them down safely with the help of the Dars, who used constructs to help in every aspect of the Village building the same way that had happened before.

  Massive stones, formed from the earth and revealed by the river, were dragged up the side of the mountain and reshaped for a purpose.

  Defensive perimeters were made.

  Then, one stone at a time, the slabs were made, raised, and anchored into an outer wall.

  Then the same thing was done for an inner wall two meters away.

  Then stone was molded and fused between them, and earth was dumped into the cavity and compacted.

  Eventually, a wall around a village built for one of those people was completed within the month.

  Its area to walk safely while under cover meant that, no matter where the enemy was, they could rain down death.

  To celebrate, baby Auriel decided it was time to make her entrance.

  Jianrong, Cheri, and Virea, along with all the Bloodforge matrons, had attached themselves to Nadia.

  Rong could smell a change in the air, and she refused to be far from her mother.

  Cheri had miscarried when she was young and refused to let her mother-in-law suffer the same grief.

  Matron Bao Yu sat with Nadia in silence, breathing together in meditation.

  Thomas Jr was resting near them when he stood up, turned to Nadia, and let out a howl.

  The other dogs started barking in excitement.

  A moment later, Rong was there with Grandma Lana, and Vessa was being called.

  All the women around Nadia could tell the time had come.

  The fort was alerted.

  Manpower doubled on the walls.

  An outdoor kitchen set up, as no one would leave until their little sister's fate was crystal clear.

  Elder Vessa and Potion Mistress Lana moved into the Jianrong’s home until the child was born, as she was told to remain where she was.

  The yard turned into a social gathering as everyone who was close clustered near.

  Those were not as close kept vigil, should something unexpected happen.

  Teyren supported Lana by running errands with Meiya supporting him.

  The Council, unable to sit still, checked and rechecked every part of the nursery and kept an eye on Nadia.

  Shepard was always within arm’s reach.

  Many times providing Qi to supplement her own.

  A child draws nutrients from the body, both a beautiful and a terrible thing if the person is unwell or lacks the energy to give.

  What Shepard gave was his best. Starlight thick as syrup, and his sister drank up the tiny thread he was feeding them.

  She was a glutton, and he loved her already.

  The other three moved with precision.

  At some point, Dar Luso stated before that fateful day,

  “I will go high to greet the Father if she is to come at night, you will stay here and offer prayer to the Mother. I will not yield on this.”

  Dar had been firm about it.

  All four gained the gift to consume light and heat.

  None knew why, but since before Dar could cultivate, he could pray, and he had prayed diligently to the sun each day.

  The sun had never withheld its bounty to them.

  The three siblings considered this.

  Each one felt an undeniable link to the Sun and Earth.

  Not to greet them immediately felt... wrong, especially on such an auspicious occasion. This was Valen and Nadia’s first child, their first daughter.

  Proof of their union and vow to one another.

  Valen was their father, not in blood but oath and faith.

  That meant no stone left unturned, no benefit not sought.

  So, they began, and over the time they had been home, the people of Ironwood fortress saw something that no one had words for.

  A suit made of Calamity Skin — Dar Luso’s EVA

  It was not armor.

  Not in the way the world knew it.

  The suit was built from the hide and bone of a Calamity Beast — a creature whose presence once broke mountains and turned rivers red.

  Now it's bones sheltered human life.

  Layered plates of beast-bone wrapped over leather — scarred, weathered, tempered by hands that built homes, not empires.

  Inside, there was a specialty layer of wool and fur to retain heat.

  The fur linings were not for decoration — they were for warmth at heights no man was meant to climb.

  It smelled of earth and blood and quiet defiance.

  Jianrong called it EVA.

  No one knew what that meant.

  Not the Council. Not the guards, nor the spies who lingered too close at times.

  But when asked, Jianrong had simply smiled in that quiet way of hers — the way that said everything and nothing all at once.

  "Extra Vehicular Ascension."

  This was not for war.

  This was not for glory.

  But to go higher.

  Further than anyone had ever dared.

  To climb beyond wind and stone.

  To stand at the very edge of breath and sky.

  She had done it once; she knew what her brother would need to do to go up and greet the sun.

  Not for himself.

  But for their sister, to demand her fate be appropriate.

  To remind the Heavens they were not out of their reach.

  While the village moved softly, and the cave where both Ling and Rou were worshipped was filled with people bringing offerings of food and gifts, as well as prayers, a group of men arrived.

  They bore the crest of a minor noble house.

  Their goal was simple: speak with the matriarch and seal a deal to buy Feral components.

  Their offer would mean Ironwood bears all the risk and expense, and the return would be a below-market rate for the beasts.

  Arnold approached the people, stopping them well before they reached the gate.

  “No visitors, this is a delicate time. State your business and provide the documents, and the Matriarch will arrange a meeting at a later date.”

  The young nobleman sneered.

  “Boy, listen, you lack the power to make such promises. Guide me to the head of the village, or there will be trouble.” The man hissed.

  From the wall, a flare of Aura pulsed, then Jon landed next to Arnold and placed his hand on his shoulder as he stood nearly a head taller than the large youth.

  Arnold smiled at the envoy.

  “You're wrong. Trouble has found you. We have orders; either accept them or accept the outcome. One lets you live in peace with a meeting in the future, the other ends with your life coming to a close.” Arnold said, as archers along the wall, with docked arrows, drew down on them.

  Jon had never said a word; he was only there to make sure Arnold knew he was in the right.

  The emissary was about to say something when his companion saluted.

  “We will return in one week, we wish you well until then!” The chamberlain stated, then bid the young master to fall back.

  Along the narrow path, the young man finally spoke when the fort could not be seen.

  “Uncle, why did you embarrass me!” the young man shouted.

  The chamberlain bowed low. “Young master, you may not have felt it, but when the large man leaped to the ground that was over eight meters, he was Core Formation, as was the young man you were talking to. His name is Arnold. He is the student Dar Luso, the Meridian healer. Rumor is that he gave both those people a Dantian when they could not build their own. So now they follow the family faithfully.”

  The young man laughed. “Do you see me as a fool?”

  The Chamberline shook his head.

  “Whether you believe me or not does not change the fact that we had over a dozen arrows aimed at us.”

  The you man thought for a moment as the two rode side by side.

  Then, with the swift movement of a warrior, he drew an ornamental blade and stabbed the man in the side, causing him to cry out and fall off his horse.

  “You shamed me for that. You will die. In your next life, remember your place.” The young man never stopped his horse.

  The other men rode by, not saying a word.

  The Chamberlin lay there slowly dying as dark red blood slowly poured from him.

  He thought he heard a shrill whistle.

  Then a woman of beauty, whom he could not put into words, fell from the sky and gently touched the ground near his horse.

  The beast did not startle at her arrival; it simply followed her while sniffing and nudging her.

  “Yes, yes, we will get some food in you.” She promised.

  The small figure crouched beside the man; her golden eyes looked into his, taking his breath away, for they were not human eyes.

  “You seem to be in a bit of a pickle, elder. May we offer assistance and sanctuary?”

  She asked, touching his shoulder like a friend.

  The man stared, then realized who this was. “You’re the empress's attendant.”

  Jianrong smiled as people moved into position, running.

  “I am…” She looked at the blood color, and her Core came to life. “Well…you want to work for someone who knows value when they see it?”

  The man smiled with pale lips. “I swear my loyalty to Ironwood.”

  Jianrong nodded as her hand moved to the wound.

  The brothers had found some of the best treasures, were those that fell from other people's hands.

  Many people failed to realize that something seemed worthless because they themselves did not know how to gauge its value.

  Ironwood then scooped it up, brushed it off, and put them in a place that fit their skill set.

  When Tang Shan opened his eyes, he was being carried by a mountain of a woman.

  “Take it slow, uncle, you lost a lot of blood. We will need to put some meat in you to recover.” Rosha said with a grin.

  Shan was shocked. He was not a light man; he had enjoyed access to good food and wine before the lean times had started.

  “How?” he breathed, then saw the woman next to her who made his blood turn hot.

  Mira smiled. “Our little siblings are always finding something to heal.”

  “Remember that giant snake?” Rosha asked with a laugh.

  Mira burst into laughter, remembering Nadia’s face when Dar showed up covered in a python.

  “Whatever happened to that snake Arnold asked from the side, remembering the story but not how it ended.

  “Dar fed it rats he caught to get its strength up, then took it to the marsh where it had probably lived and let it loose.” Elder Tan said from behind, laughing.

  Tang Shan, age 47, a former chamberlain for the Liu family, became part of Ironwood when his master severed their ties.

  Although he would later come to regret it, today was not that day.

  Today would be auspicious for another reason.

  Today was a day that Seldara and Heaven alike would remember.